GLP: The Backstory

Every great project begins as a spark. For GLP: the GDG Learning Platform, that spark was ignited in 2022, during the very first edition of the GDG Integration Program (GIP).

At its heart, GIP was never just a training period. It was a daring experiment: putting new members into teams, challenging them to solve real problems, and letting creativity meet responsibility under the mentorship of seniors. Some ideas were small and technical. Others were ambitious. But among them, one stood out, not because it was flashy, but because it was deeply needed.

It wasn’t another “cool project.” It was a vision of how the entire GDG Algiers community could learn, grow, and thrive differently.

The GDG Integration Program (GIP), where it all started.

The Beginning

The team dared to ask questions others hadn’t.

What if learning in GDG didn’t feel like attending a class, but like embarking on a journey?
What if it was structured but playful, competitive but collaborative?
What if it rewarded consistency, creativity, and community spirit, not just technical skill?

They didn’t want to copy existing giants like Udemy or Coursera. Instead, they dreamt of something tailored to GDG members: simple, accessible, gamified and alive with community spirit.

That idea became GLP.

When pitched, the reaction was immediate. Members recognized its potential. Mentors applauded its originality. It wasn’t just about creating “a platform”; it was about building a culture of continuous, certificate-backed learning, where every challenge, every module, every small win meant something.

At GIP, GLP even earned recognition, proof that it wasn’t just a dream, but a vision worth building.

Want to feel the atmosphere where GLP was born? Check this out:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZVCeTVpzyU/?igsh=emlxM3hjemJtaGw2

The Pioneers

The earliest GLP team was a blend of experience and raw enthusiasm.

Mentors like Sohaib Zouamabia (ex Lead) and Abderaouf Louggani gave direction.
Developers and designers like Abdelatif, Abderahmane Ben Rabah, Abdessamed Rezazi, Amine Adjou, Mehdi Zakaria Adjal, Abdelbasset Rezazi, and later Abdelkarim Bengherbia (UI/UX) turned vision into wireframes, features, and prototypes.

For weeks, they brainstormed, coded late into the night, and argued about the tiniest details. But through all of it, one thing was clear: this wasn’t “just another GIP project.” It was something bigger, something that could outlive a season.

They laid the foundation of a platform that future generations of GDG members would continue to carry forward.

Sohaib Zouamabia and Abderaouf Louggani, the mentors.

The Struggles

But every story of creation has its battles. GLP’s journey was a lesson in resilience.

First Season 2021/2022: The idea was solid, but time was against them. Core team shifts and busy schedules meant progress was painfully slow.
Second Season 2022/2023: With renewed energy, the project was redesigned with a more polished structure. But complexity was underestimated. The platform stumbled on technical instability and stalled once more.
Third Season 2023/2024: Abderaouf Louggani as Lead gave the project momentum again. Yet, the sheer workload of managing studies, events, and platform development drained motivation.
Fourth Season 2024/2025: Many of the founding team had graduated or moved on. The new team worked on GLP, but despite their efforts, progress remained stagnant and the platform struggled to move forward. Abdelghani Derdouche, joined the GLP team in 2024 and quickly adapted to new technologies, contributing to backend development. By 2025, as co-manager, the main challenge became rebuilding the platform’s frontend to align with the project’s vision. Guiding the team to avoid repeating past obstacles while balancing demanding responsibilities.

At each stage, it felt like GLP was one step away from becoming reality, and yet, circumstances pulled it back.

Why It Never Died

And yet… it never truly disappeared.

What kept GLP alive was not code or design. It was belief.

Every team that touched it saw its value. They understood that GDG Algiers deserved a home-grown learning platform, not just borrowed tools. They knew it was more than a project, it was a statement about what GDG stands for: originality, persistence, and serving the community.

That belief passed like a torch, from one team to another, one Lead to the next. GLP lived in conversations, in abandoned Figma boards, in hopeful “maybe next season” discussions. It survived because people refused to let it die.

“ there is always light at the end of the tunnel “

The Revival

Finally, in the 2025–2026 GDG Algiers season, the dream became reality.

During the summer, Nabil Ghemam Djeridi and Amina Malek worked to revive GLP, and later joined forces with the newly formed core team to carry it forward.

This time, it wasn’t a rushed idea, it was a carefully rebuilt project, strengthened by every lesson, every failure, every pause from the past.

The version of GLP available today was also shaped by the dedication of the 2025–2026 core team, especially the leads, Bokhtache Khawla and Khalil Lounis (Dev Co-managers), Benassloun Abdallah ( ER Co-manager) and the content team as well. Countless late nights were spent refining features, resolving issues, and bringing the platform to a level of stability and polish it had never reached before.

The foundation was stronger, the vision clearer, and the determination greater than ever. The team knew the weight of the project’s history and carried it with pride.

For the first time, GLP wasn’t just an idea. It was alive, functional, and ready to serve.

Amina Malek, the current Lead, and Nabil Ghemam Djeridi, the current Co-Lead.

Looking Ahead

Abderraouf Louggani one of the alumni who carried the project in its early days reflected:

“Since GLP is alive, I hope for its continuation. I hope the team ensures it provides high quality as GDG has always done through the years. Most importantly, I hope the content is what our community really needs, and not just a copy of what already exists.”

Now, GLP is in your hands. In fact, you’re reading this story right here in the Articles section of GLP: proof that the dream is alive. But this is only the beginning.

Your journey with GLP starts now. Explore the platform, take on challenges, share your feedback, and help shape the next chapter. Because GLP is not just a platform built for the community, it’s one that grows with it.

< gdg for once, gdg for ever >

GLP’s Journey Wouldn’t Exist Without Them

A heartfelt thanks goes to everyone who contributed, whether from near or far, across UI/UX, development, alumni, and the content team, whose combined efforts made this version of GLP possible.

This article was written collectively by GDG Algiers, for GDG Algiers. A story carried not by one voice, but by the spirit of our community.